George Mason in the News…

Posted: October 8, 2004 at 1:00 am, Last Updated: November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

Following are highlights of national news coverage George Mason received during the past week:

Friday, Oct. 1, St. Petersburg Times

Kerry Succinct, Bush Stays on Point

“With some analysts saying the debate would be crucial for his campaign, Kerry seemed energized by the pressure. ‘I thought Kerry was really strong,’ said Mark Rozell, professor of public policy at George Mason University. ‘He certainly came across as very clear-minded and consistent.’ But Bush, whose communication skills are often underestimated, held his ground. ‘Bush stayed remarkably well on message,’ said Rozell. ‘He did not give Kerry any serious opportunity to change the dynamics of this campaign.'”

Friday, Oct. 1, USA Today

So How Well Did They Do?

“Here is how experts in communications, linguistics and politics assessed the performances of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry in their debate Thursday night (edited for length and clarity): Roger Wilkins, George Mason University history professor: ‘Kerry did what he had to the whole way through. He was crisp. He didn’t meander as he’s done. He was clear and in command of facts and he was focused. The president was repetitive. You had the sense the phrase “mixed messages” had been focus-grouped to death. He looked from time to time uncertain.'”

Friday, Oct. 1, Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

Bush’s Picture of Diversity

“Experts on race and politics said it was understandable that the Bush administration lacks the same depth of diversity as the Clinton administration. ‘Bush has pulled together a Cabinet that looks like America,’ said Jeremy Mayer of George Mason University, but he also has appointed a sub-Cabinet administration that ‘looks like the Republican Party.'”

Sunday, Oct. 3, the New York Times

Thou Shalt Not Increase G.D.P.

“But the wall separating church and economics is being breached. ‘In the past 5 to 20 years, more and more scholars have been using conventional economic methods to understand the way in which religion relates to the rest of society, and to the economy in particular,’ said Laurence R. Iannaccone, the Koch professor of economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.”

Tuesday, Sept. 28, Deseret Morning News

Americans Know Very Little about our Politics

“Opinion polls are pretty consistent on this one. As a people, Americans tend to know very little about politics or their own system of government. An essay recently published by the CATO Institute, written by Ilya Somin, an assistant professor of law at George Mason University, brought together results from a lot of different surveys to prove the point. Here’s a sampling: A whopping 70 percent of Americans either didn’t know Congress passed a Medicare prescription drug benefit or thought the measure had failed. Fully 75 percent didn’t know the Bush administration said Saddam Hussein was not involved in the 9/11 attacks. Only 22 percent said they knew at least a ‘fair amount’ about the European Union.”

Sunday, Oct. 3, the Grand Rapids Press

With Race Issue Nearly Gone from Debate, Who Will Win Minority Vote?

“So, Kerry wants to invest more in health and education, worries about the disparate racial impact of mandatory minimum sentences and the death penalty, and can be counted on to appoint Supreme Court justices (likely three vacancies in four years) who would preserve affirmative action. Yet, most of these and other racially tinged issues get little attention. ‘Almost no one is talking about race; it’s not on the national agenda,’ said Jeremy Mayer, a George Mason University political scientist who wrote the book Running on Race: Racial Politics in Presidential Campaigns, 1960-2000.”

Thursday, Oct. 7, the Washington Post

Sniper Case Unsettles Usual Police Procedure

“Fairfax could have obtained Muhammad from Prince William, as neighboring counties often do in lesser cases. ‘A detainer says “Keep him until we come for him,”‘ said John L. Costello, a George Mason University criminal law professor and author of a textbook on criminal procedure. ‘And if that ain’t an arrest, I personally don’t know what is.'”